Latest news with #GreggPopovich
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Is Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla a top ten coach in the NBA?
Is Boston Celtics head coach a top ten coach in the NBA? With legends like San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich retiring from that role and a number of highly regarded head coaches like Tom Thibodeau (last with the New York Knicks) and Taylor Jenkins (formerly with the Memphis Grizzlies) now looking for another such post in the NBA, there are fewer coaches on the level or at least in the same stratosphere as Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. So where would we put Mazzulla among his peers at the helm of NBA teams for the coming 2025-26 regular season? With a title to his name, he very clearly does not belong in the lower third of the league's coaches, and one would struggle to make a case for him lower than the midpoint of the league's coaches at No. 15 overall. But is he at least four slots higher in most estimations? The folks behind the "98.5 The Sports Hub" YouTube channel put together a clip from their "Felger and Mazz" show to talk it over. Check it out below! This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Is Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla a top ten coach in the NBA?
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Is Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla a top ten coach in the NBA?
Is Boston Celtics head coach a top ten coach in the NBA? With legends like San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich retiring from that role and a number of highly regarded head coaches like Tom Thibodeau (last with the New York Knicks) and Taylor Jenkins (formerly with the Memphis Grizzlies) now looking for another such post in the NBA, there are fewer coaches on the level or at least in the same stratosphere as Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. So where would we put Mazzulla among his peers at the helm of NBA teams for the coming 2025-26 regular season? With a title to his name, he very clearly does not belong in the lower third of the league's coaches, and one would struggle to make a case for him lower than the midpoint of the league's coaches at No. 15 overall. But is he at least four slots higher in most estimations? The folks behind the "98.5 The Sports Hub" YouTube channel put together a clip from their "Felger and Mazz" show to talk it over. Check it out below!
New York Times
15-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Victor Wembanyama cleared to return to Spurs after blood clot: Reports
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said he is 'officially cleared to return' from the deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder that cut his 2024-25 season short, he told French newspaper L'Équipe. Wembanyama, 21, said San Antonio's medical staff told him Friday he had the green light to return to basketball, which would mark just over five months since the team discovered the blood clot upon his return from All-Star weekend. The finding stunted his sophomore season at 46 games and curtailed a historically rare season; he was the first player to record averages of 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.8 blocks and 3.1 3-pointers made per game before the injury. Advertisement Team sources were unwilling to confirm, but news of his return was also reported by ESPN. San Antonio went 21-25 in the games Wembanyama played and 13-23 in its games without him last season. The team landed the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft lottery and selected guard Dylan Harper, who is expected to join reigning rookies of the year Stephon Castle and Wembanyama to give the Spurs a young trio that could compete in the playoffs. Wembanyama has had a full offseason despite the injury, including a trip to the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, China, to train with monks for two weeks. The Spurs have also had a transformative offseason, as longtime legendary coach Gregg Popovich stepped down in May to move to a front-office role after he suffered a stroke in November that forced him away from the sidelines. Wembanyama and multiple other NBA stars have dealt with blood clots in recent seasons. Then-Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard was temporarily shut down in March after doctors found a DVT in his calf, the Detroit Pistons' Ausar Thompson missed time from March to November 2024 with a blood clot, and Miami Heat star Chris Bosh was forced to retire in 2016 due to the recurrence of a clot, which constituted a career-ending illness. The Spurs center told L'Equipe he is 'right on schedule' with the recovery plan and that the DVT is 'officially behind me.' He said he has not played five-on-five action for five months and has to ramp up his training to be game-ready. The 21-year-old will not suit up for the French national team when EuroBasket 2025 starts on Aug. 27, joining Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier as roster exclusions due to health and recovery reasons. Team France will be highlighted by the top two picks from last year's draft, Atlanta Hawks wing Zaccharie Risacher and Washington Wizards big Alex Sarr, as well as Wizards wing Bilal Coulibaly and New York Knicks big Guerschon Yabusele. Wembanayama will likely still be in the ramp-up phase of his recovery program when the tournament begins, so his priority will be preparing for the grind of a full NBA season as an emerging superstar. Advertisement His minutes per game increased from 29.7 as a rookie to 33.2 as a sophomore last season, with another increase possibly on the way. He will likely take on even more offensive responsibility as his skill set improves, meaning his offseason training program will be crucial to setting the stage for a sustainably healthy and productive season. The Spurs' offense will further evolve this year now that former All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox will take the reins at the point from Chris Paul, who often had the Spurs playing a slower pace in the half-court. Wembanayama plans to be ready for a full return by the start of training camp in late September, his first alongside Fox. The pair only played five games together after the Spurs acquired Fox at the trade deadline. San Antonio finished 34-48 after Wembanyama was ruled out, but showed early signs of promise with a 17-16 run heading into the new year. With Castle entering his second season, Harper coming to town and former Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet providing center depth to help manage Wembanyama's load throughout the season, San Antonio has a chance to take another big step forward this season.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Victor Wembanyama gives major health update after blood cot ruined his season
The San Antonio Spurs have cleared superstar center Victor Wembanyama to return to basketball activities with over three months remaining in the preseason, according to French outlet L'Equipe. Wembanyama, the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year and two-time league blocks leader, had his 2024-25 season end early after developing deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. He was named to the 2025 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve, but then was shut down for the rest of the season after doctors found the blood clot. At the time he was shut down, he was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.8 blocks per game. But now, Wembanyama is clear to resume his preparations for the upcoming season. Losing Wembanyama was a death blow to a Spurs season where coach Gregg Popovich had to leave in November before eventually retiring. After Wembanyama was shut down, the Spurs only won 11 of their final 30 games and finished five games out of a play-in spot. The poor form did result in a small benefit when San Antonio came second in the NBA's Draft Lottery behind the in-state rival Dallas Mavericks. While Dallas picked Duke star Cooper Flagg first overall, the Spurs added some necessary young guard help in the form of Dylan Harper from Rutgers with the second overall pick. The NBA preseason schedule has yet to be released. Meanwhile, the Spurs' team in the NBA Summer League is 2-0.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fab goes Pop as he reveals his summer of learning for new season
Fabian Hurzeler has spoken to former San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich (inset) (Image: Liz Finlayson and JMT Images) You might have heard that Fabian Hurzeler is the youngest head coach in the Premier League. His build-up to this pre-season has included some learning from one of the elder statesmen of American sport. Advertisement Albion's head coach has spoken to Gregg Popovich, known as Coach Pop, of American basketball powerhouses San Antonio Spurs during his summer travels He has also been to Spain – where the Seagulls are this week as they build up to the 2025-26 campaign. Popovich, 76, is now club president at the Spurs having been head coach for 29 seasons and led them to all five of their NBA tiles. Hurzeler, born in Texas, was back in his home state and made the most of it from a professional viewpoint. He said: 'I travelled a lot. I was in Spain to learn a little bit, continue learning my Spanish, improving my Spanish. Advertisement 'I was in the United States learning from other kinds of sports, American football, basketball, just to learn from other high performance cultures. 'It was quite interesting, and then I was a little bit in the mountains, enjoying the time there. 'So, it was a mix between a learning holiday and an enjoying holiday, and of course the owner keeps me busy with all the things we are doing, but in a positive way. So, that was my break.' Hurzeler visited the Huston Texans in American football as well as San Antonio. He said: 'At Houston they have a defence coordinator, offensive coordinator. 'I learned about their schedule, I learned how they deal with situations under pressure, I learned about their environment. Advertisement 'I think the United States is a very positive environment. The people are very open-minded, and they have different things in their culture. 'For example, in the warm-up they always have music, also during the training session they always have music, during the training session they always have a referee – an external referee in every training session, so they really try to replicate the game. 'It's something that I really like, it's something similar to my idea, so you get in touch with the players, you get in touch with the coaches, and in every discussion, for me, you learn something, you take something away. 'You can't copy anything, but it's more about getting understanding if there's some elements that we can bring into our culture and our environment. Advertisement 'It was Texans, it was basketball at San Antonio Spurs, and they're both known for their really good environment. 'They really trust the process, and it's a message like a lot of coaches send, but it's about how you live this, and I think Brighton is something that lives it well. 'When I see the San Antonio Spurs, how they live it, it's just special in their head, and they have passed one of the most successful coaches, probably (Popovich). 'He still has influence, so you can see how the people talk there about him, you can see his influence, and I think to learn from the best coaches in the past, it's always something very important, also for me as a young coach.' Advertisement There have been tell-tale signs of Hurzeler's liking for basketball, a sport he enjoyed watching in Hamburg when he was in charge at St Pauli. They include the idea of getting offence, or attack, out of defence, when possession is turned over. Albion ready to turn up the heat in next stage of pre-season Or taking time to carefully work the final shot as time runs out rather than simply lofting the ball hurriedly into the penalty area. The best example of that was the build-up to the last-gasp penalty which beat Fulham. Hurzeler will look to build on all that as he gets down to work on a second pre-season with the Seagulls. Advertisement Adingra leaves Albion but was his time at the Amex a missed opportunity? He said: 'Last summer I came from a big success (winning the second-tier title with St Pauli). 'I wouldn't say that this summer I came from less success. So it's always about how you define the success. 'And therefore I try to enjoy the summer and not try to compare too much.'
